The α-synuclein Ala53Thr mutation is not a common cause of familial Parkinson's disease: A study of 230 European cases

We report the results of a screen of 230 European familial index cases of Parkinson's disease for the recently described Ala53Thr mutation in the α‐synuclein gene in an autosomal dominant Parkinson's disease kindred. No mutations were found from this broad white population, and we therefore conclude that although of great interest, this mutation is a very rare cause of familial Parkinson's disease.